Based on the breadth and depth of selected wines brought by the participants, this year's tasting ended up being three different wine tastings - a white flight with the pre-dinner starter course, a Bordeaux (blend) flight with the dinner course, and a dessert flight with the final course.

Ernie preparing
bacon wrapped dates

OTBN - Open That Bottle Night,
was conceived on the premise that many of us have a special bottle of wine or champagne
hidden away being saved for a special occasion that for whatever reason
hasn't happened, yet.

Every year since 2000, on the last Saturday night in February, Open That
Bottle Night (OTBN) has been celebrated - the time to uncork and enjoy
that cherished but here-to-for elusive bottle.

OTBN was conceived by
Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, Wine Columnists for the Wall Street Journal, to say, what the heck, go for it, Open That Bottle
(to)Night. They realized they weren't alone - having that special bottle
set aside for an occasion that just never happens. On this night, you
don't need an excuse or a reason - just do it!

Take advantage of OTBN to
open that bottle and enjoy it! Enjoy it by yourself, or better yet,
enjoy it with someone special, or even better, with a group of special
friends. Have everyone bring such a bottle and let the story telling
begin, because amazingly, every OTBN bottle has a story or some meaning,
or not. What the heck, Open That Bottle (To) Night!

According to customary protocol for OTBN, we agreed to not set a theme for the evening, but to adhere to the spirit of bringing select wine (s) for the occasion. Bring a special bottle you're eager to try, and share, and bring along a complimentary side dish or dessert that will showcase the wine selection.

The result was selections that worked out well with complementary or distinguished wines that resulted in the three courses of the evening.

For the starter course, we had a selection of artisan cheeses, shrimp cocktail, a fig pizza, and deviled eggs. The cheese course consisted of two Wisconsin Aged cheeses, a Gouda and an eighteen year aged cheddar, brought by John, and Linda's Baked Brie with toasted almonds and honey drizzle.

To accompany the starter course we had a flight of white wines - listed in tasting order, Grgich Fume Blanc, FogDog Sonoma Chardonnay, Freestone Vineyard Sonoma Chardonnay, Sebastian Riffault Sauletas Sancerre, and of course there is always a place for a sparkling wine, John sourced this Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Blanc Champagne brut (left).

As a transition to the reds, John served a Saumur Loire Valley Sancerre Reserve Cabernet Franc.

The wine flight to accompany the dinner course was a series of Bordeaux, kicked off by a Napa Cabernet based Red Blend from Quintessa. Bill brought the 2006 vintage Quintessa that stood alone in its bright vibrant symphony of fruits, almost a meal in itself! This big forward Napa Bordeaux Blend anchored and opened the red flight of Bordeaux's.

Quintessa Napa Valley Rutherford Red Wine 2006

The wine flight to accompany the dinner course was a series of Bordeaux, kicked off by a Napa Cabernet based Red Blend from Quintessa. Quintessa refers to the five hills and five disparate terroir and soil types on the estate vineyards in Napa Valley. Our visit to the magnificent Quintessa Estate vineyards and winery was a highlight of our Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2003.

Bill brought the 2006 vintage Quintessa that stood alone in its bright
vibrant symphony of fruits, almost a meal in itself! This big forward
Napa Bordeaux Blend anchored and opened the red flight of Bordeaux's.

Quintessa 2006 - a standout
in the red flight

From Bill's cellar, his tasting notes from Cellartracker - "The best and most expressive of 3 or 4 vintages of this tasted to date.
Deep, opaque color. Rich and full on the palate with layers of fruit
(blackberry, cassis and a hint of sour cherry), savory notes of dark
chocolate with maybe a hint of fig, with a classic earthy, mineral
Bordeaux finish and a huge mouthfeel. This was my contribution to Open
That Bottle Night. Still have one bottle left and wish I had more
however this was at its best early in the evening and began to flatten
after about three hours."

This was the most expressive and vibrant Quintessa I've had. Bright full, forward black raspberry notes with tones of spicy oak, cassis and mocha ...

Château Lafon Rochet St Estephe 1996 Château Léoville Las Cases St Julien 1996 This 1996 initially overshadowed the more subdued 1986 with far more vibrant, fuller and more expressive fruits. Only after a day did the 1986 open up and reveal its true character and potential.

Château Léoville Las Cases St Julien 1986

I was expecting the duo of the twenty and thirty year old Leoville Las Cases to be a highlight of the tasting. Remarkably, the 1986 was initially a bit lean and austere, lacking the big firm backbone structure that was so notable from the vintage, and was actually overshadowed by the bigger, more complete '96.

After thirty years, this needed decanting and settling time, witnessed by the fact, the next evening it had opened and stabilized and was more balanced and polished.

In any event, the tasting profile of the classic 'super second' Estate was apparent in the the mini-horizontal of the two vintage flight.

At thirty years of age, I actually wonder if we drank the 1986 too soon! Initially closed and a bit flabby, it needed decanting and a minimum of a couple hours to open and settle, it was better the next day, and even better the day after that!

Wine Spectator rated it 97. Perhaps they foretold its aging when they said this in their review .. "Amazingly focused, complex and deep, packed with currant, plum and berry
flavors and notes of cedar and chocolate. The structure is tightly
reined in and needs considerable cellaring to show what it can do." https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1622

Chateau d'Yquem Sauterne Bordeaux 1986
This is a Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend. The d'Yquem vineyardists make as many as two dozen passes through the vineyard selecting only the perfect grapes at the right picking time in each pass. The ultra selection of the rich ultra ripe grapes results in but one glass of wine per vine in a typical vintage.

This wine is a chameleon - its amazing complexity reflects the many dimensions of the myriad of fruit, chocolate and fig bacon flavors tasted in concert. The many dimensions of this wine were highlighted by the disparate
dessert selections. The triad of blackberry, bacon wrapped figs and the
chocolate bark each revealed a different lens into the nuances of the
complex Sauterne.

We followed this with a super sweet Kracher Scheurube Trockenbereen Auslese #12 1998.

The chocolate courses provided a transitional pivot from the sticky sweet wines to the vintage port and big red wines. Lyle brought a Croft Vintage Port 1991 and John provided a Saxum Broken Stones Red Blend 2006 from Paso Robles. With its monstrous 16.5% alcohol, it was fitting for the dessert course more than the dinner course and was a suitable finisher at the rear of the tasting.

A saturated cork cast wonder at how this would be. Dark blackish ruby color, full bodied, smooth, rich, concentrated, complex sweet black berry, black cherry, ripe black plum fruits with tobacco leaf and dark mocha tones and hints of cognac ... it tasted young and vibrant ... Lyle was concerned that this has lost is lusture but all concurred it is drinking fine and has decades of life left in the bottle.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

For a client dinner in Las Vegas we dined at Trattoria Fiamma at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Diners selected beef and other wine friendly dishes. From the winelist I selected an obligatory Italian, a Massolino Barolo, and then two well known popular Napa reds - BV Tapestry Reserve and Keenan Merlot.

Only the largest cities offer the culinary selection of Las Vegas which also commands big city prices. The major hotels and casinos feature the world's greatest chefs' restaurants and the broadest range of dining choices. Each hotel is more sensational than the next.

Equally sensational as the surroundings are the architecture and design of the dining rooms and their eye-popping showcase wine cellars. A stop in Joël Robuchon to view the menu and winelist revealed rare selections such as 1947 Château d'Yquem for $37000 (see our tasting of the fabulous Château d'Yquem 1986 this same week). The major hotel/casinos have upscale restaurant that offer such treasures - (see my blogposts on the fabulous Aureole Restaurant). Such a gathering in such close proximity is truly a Las Vegas sensation making it a culinary destination in its own right.

Our business focused non-wine enthusiast crowd called for a modicum of reasonableness in moderate wine selections. Hence, I chose some carefully selected, moderate priced well known predictably pleasant, easy drinking reds that would appeal to the group. The extensive winelists offer choices in all price ranges and styles. The disparate styles of the three wines suited the range of entree selections.

I've learned that such encounters often result in a wine discovery for some of the diners who want to note the wine and try to obtain some to repeat the experience back home, hence I selected a couple wines that are generally available that provide repeatable quality enjoyable drinking at reasonable prices.

We Midwesterners were basically meat and potatoes guys who feasted on a Midwestern style beef faire that was in abundance on the menu despite the Italian cuisine. All were excellent and great accompaniments to the red wine flight.

This is a meritage, meaning it is a Bordeaux Blend - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and some Petit Verdot and Malbec. Another approachable easy drinking red ideal for this setting and cuisine.

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, black berry core with tones of cassis, graphite and clove spice and a hint of cedar on the moderate finish.

Monday, February 15, 2016

For a gala Valentine's Evening Dinner we dined at trendy, cozy, quaint Chez Joel on Taylor Street in Chicago. From their price fixe holiday dinner we dined on lobster bisque, New York Strip Steak, Canard Confit, Scallops and for dessert, Mousse au Chocolate, Creme Brulee and a medley of sorbets - chocolate, raspberry and mango.

From home, I brought this BYOB special Chardonnay from Fantesca - the first and perhaps still only Heidi Barrett crafted Chardonnay. The Fantesca branding is theme was ideal for the Valentine's Day occasion.

Bill brought this to our dinner a few weeks ago from his cellar. His notes from Cellartracker -
"Medium straw in color. A bit of perfume on the nose. Pear, peach,
lemon zest and just a hint of buttery oak on the palate. When I selected
this from the cellar to accompany friend Linda's broiled salmon with
dill I was pleasantly surprised to find there was still plenty of
freshness left. I don't think this will get any better but it is awfully
good right now."

WCC - 90 points.

The fruit was a bit more subdued than earlier tastings in 2010 and 2012
but this is still very tasty. Butter colored, light-medium bodied,
nicely integrated, smooth, crisp and clean, flavors of tropical fruits,
ripe melon, hints of lychee
and under current of subtle citrus with a pleasant lingering
finish.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Valentine's Day eve dinner - perfect wine with comfort food for relaxed family dinner with kids/grandkids joining. Pulled one of our favorites to accompany the lasagna main course. It also went just as well with the chocolates!

As written numerous times in the past, we love this wine and consider it a benchmark representation of Southern
Australian Shiraz at its very best, and at a pricepoint between $25-30
it offers a relative great QPR (Quality to Price ratio). I wish I could
find more of it. Not sure what happened to Flinders Run. It appeared on
the market selectively and we haven't see it since. We bought all we could find on the market and are still being rewarded for our investment.

This has been a consistent overall
hit of many standalone and comparison tastings of varied big reds. Consistent with earlier
notes, the 2006 Flinders is still holding its own and showing well at ten years of age. Dark inky purple, full bodied, powerfully
scented bouquet of dark berries, smoky minerals and fresh flowers
bursting with flavors of thick chewy black raspberry, blueberry and
cassis with layers of nut, vanilla and hints of mocha flavors on a
tongue coating lingering finish. As much as we like this wine, the 2005
may be even better.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

For a casual business dinner, we dined at Moe's Restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. One side is a quaint tavern setting, adjacent is a trendy white linen tablecloth dining setting, with a shared Monthly Featured Dinner menu.

A short, basic, carefully selected wine list of fifty selections offers a range of price points and wine styles to complement their featured menu. A basic selection of a dozen WBTG - Wines By The Glass, allows for each diner in a group to select an appropriate wine with each dish.

Two of us ordered the Braised Short Ribs with Chipotle orange bbq, cheddar polenta and snap peas, which was delicious, and was much better than it sounds. Our other diners ordered the NY Strip Steak and the Grilled Salmon entrees. All our dinners were excellent.

For the second time this week, the wine list offered one of the few wines that straddle the summit county line between Napa and Sonoma Counties, high atop the Mayacamas Mountain range that separates the two valleys, Napa to the east and Sonoma to the west.

Pride Mountain Vineyards, originally named 'Summit Ranch', befitting its location , is a 235-acre estate with eighty acres of vineyards. Beside the winery building, the crush pad features a brick inlay that marks the Napa/Sonoma County line.

We've collected this wine since the early 90's and still hold in our cellar the 1997 vintage which we tasted and acquired during our Estate visit back in 1999. The 1997 vintage was the first year estate production occurred in the new modern winery built by the Pride family.

Even in its youth, this young wine provides early gratification with very tasty, pleasant drinking. It presents itself like a full bore Napa Cab, but is smooth, balanced and approachable, akin the character of a softer smoother Merlot.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

For a business dinner with colleagues on the road, we dined at Rosewood Grill in Hudson, OH. With our grilled beef steak entrees we ordered Fisher Vineyards 'UNITY' Napa/Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon from their Wine Spectator Award winning wine list.

The Fisher Family have been growing and producing wines in both Napa Valley and Sonoma County since 1973.

UNITY is the brand associated with the second generation of the Fisher Family working together - Fisher founders Fred and Juelle Fisher, and the second generation that includes three siblings Whitney, Robert and Cameron.

The first generation Fisher Vineyards embodies single vineyard sourced wines, made unique by their particular, singular environmental conditions including soil and climate - elements when combined known as terrior.

In contrast, UNITY wines are produced from fruit chosen from multiple sites, estates or appellations, blended together in a tapestry where hopefully the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

It appears the complexity of the blend of this wine will require more aging time to come together. At this early stage it is still disjointed and awkward with some funky non-fruit musty wet wood barnyard tones punctuated by notes of creosote and hints of cedar and earthy leather offsetting the fruit flavors, before starting to burn off after about an hour to reveal black berry fruits and anise - too young or too little decanting preparation time in a restaurant dinner setting.

Visiting Springfield, IL, the options for a wine-dine experience are limited. In fact I consider Indigo the only serious wine-dining experience option - one that offers a selection of fine wines to complement the menu, including their limited but carefully selected list of WBTG - Wine-By-The-Glass offers. On previous trips, when I hosted some special dinners there, they have graciously accommodated my BYOB arrangements.

Tonight, my colleague and I both selected the NY Strip steak, and the knowledgeable waitstaff didn't have to ask what I meant when I ordered it 'Pittsburg' style.

To top it off, they offered several wines by the glass including this selection. Since, my dining partner was not a wine aficionado, WBTG was the appropriate approach and this selection made for a perfect dining outing.

The winelist was up to date and complete, including the recently acquired special limited selection of Sea Smoke Pinot Noir.

Indigo met all expectations this evening, wonderful service - knowledgeable, attentive, pleasant, professional - a great selection of food and wine, well prepared, tasty, at reasonable value. This trendy, stylish, comfortable setting continues to be my obvious regular choice when I am in the area.

St Clement Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

We hold several vintages of St Clement' premium Oroppas Napa Cabernet, but are not followers of the standard label. This is not an 'Estate' label, wherein all the grapes would need be to grown in producer owned vineyards on the property.

In a good year, wines such as this sourced from multiple sites from multiple growers can be exceptional, as the saying goes, 'all boats rise with the tide'. In lesser years, they can be mediocre, accordingly. This year proved to be a good one for St Clement. I can't wait to try their 2013!

This 2012 St. Clement Cabernet is a classic example of Napa Valley,
combining valley floor terroir and mountain fruit, sourced from several appellations across Napa
Valley, including vineyards in Rutherford, St. Helena, Mt. Veeder,
Coombsville and Diamond Mountain.

This Napa Cabernet seemed the best wine for our dinner selection and
it turned out to be a perfect choice. This wine exceeded my expectations
and proved to be a great tasty, pleasant, sophisticated drinking wine, well suited to the meal, offered by the glass, at a reasonable price.